North-end communities have not yet decided whether to develop a proposal for a public-private hospital, says Masset mayor Barry Pages.
"It's being worked on," Mr. Pages said last week. "There's been nothing brought forward yet, but there might be a P-3 proposal going in."
The so-called P-3 - or public-private partnership - approach has been suggested as one way to replace the aging Masset hospital. These arrangements can take many different forms, but would involve some entity - perhaps the communities themselves, or a private company - building a new hospital, then leasing it back to the provincial government.
Mr. Pages said the Northern Graham Island Health Care Committee has been discussing the P-3 possibility with the Northern Health Authority and David Nairne and Associates, the company which developed the now-defunct Balance Rock hospital design.
However, the committee, which includes representatives from Old Massett, Masset and Port Clements, is still exploring the idea and has not yet decided whether a P-3 hospital is the right solution, he said.
If the committee does decide to make a P-3 proposal to the province, it will need to raise some money to pay a consultant, Mr. Pages said. Any funding request would have to approved by each of the three communities involved.